Reinforced bead for a tab opening can



Nov. 18, 1969 J. w. ROUSE ET 3,478,917

REINFORCED BEAD FOR A TAB OPENING CAN Fi led May 1, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheetl IN VEN TORS Nov. 18, 1969 J. W. ROUSE ET AL REINFORCED BEAD FOR A TABOPENING CAN 2 Sheets-Sheet.

Filed May 1, 1967 IN VENTORS fab N W/L SON ROI/5E 19/1/91 5 y [141?4S/MMfl/VS AGE/V7 United States Patent REINFORCED BEAD FOR A TAB OPENINGCAN John Wilson Rouse, Ramsey, N.J., and Harley Earl Simmons, Stamford,Conn., assignors to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporationof New Jersey Filed May 1, 1967, Ser. No. 635,059 Int. Cl. B65d 17/24US. Cl. 22054 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tab opening canhaving a removable section which tends to bend or crease to an extentlikely to result in fracture when it is being torn from the can, isprovided with a reinforcing bead at the location where said crease orfold is likely to occur to thereby prevent the crease or told frombecoming sharp enough to result in fracture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the recent trend toward the use ofself-opening containers, that is, containers which can be opened withoutthe use of tools, such as, openers or can punches, one type of suchcontainer which has become highly commercial is the tab-opening can,wherein a small pull tab is provided on each can to facilitatedetachment of a scored removable portion which is formed in one of thepanels of the can.

In this type of can the removable portion or section is defined by atleast one weakening score which is impressed directly into the metal ofthe can and which may take any suitable shape. Thus, in containersdesigned to permit dispensing of liquids, such as, beer or soda, thescore is usually shaped to provide an opening which permits easy flow ofthe liquid, while in containers designed to contain solid products, thescore comprises a tearing line which rims an entire panel of the can topermit complete removal of the panel to provide ready access to thecontents.

In many such cans, the opening tab generally takes the form of a rigidlever which is permanently secured to the can wall by a rivet which isformed integral with the removable wall section and which passes througha small hole formed in one end of the tab, the portion of the tab remotefrom the riveted end being formed into a handle which is engageable bythe fingers of the user, who first lifts the handle portion of the tabupwardly away from the can wall to thereby cause a part of the tab toexert a force on the removable section, or on the score which definesit, to initiate the rupture of the thin metal in the score at a locationnear the tab.

A problem found in tab-opening cans is that the metal in a portion ofthe removable section adjacent to the rivet often fractures before theremovable section is completely separated from the rest of thecontainer. This fracture often occurs because of the way the opening tabis manipulated by some consumers. Many users start the opening operationby lifting the handle portion of the opening tab to initiate rupture ofthe score line which defines the removable section and subsequently rockthe "ice tab through a large angle to cause the rupture to continuealong the score line to a location on the removable section which isproximate to the axis about which the tab fulcrums. Unfortunately,rocking the tab through a large angle sharply bends the metal of theremovable section so as to cause a single sharp crease to form in themetal of the removable section near the rivet. The fiexural strain inthis crease is often high enough to result in fracture of the removablesection as the tab is further manipulated during the opening operationand prior to complete removal of the removable section so that a portionthereof remains in place in the can end to interfere with the dispensingof the product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the drawbacksfound in the prior art as set forth above by providing a reinforcingbead in the portion of the removable section which is subject toexcessive bending. The object in providing the bead is the prevention ofthe formation of a sharp bend or crease in the metal of the removablesection during the removal thereof to thereby substantially reduce thelikelihood of fracture of the removable section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of an endclosure embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially along theline 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 2, but showingthe end closure seamed onto a can body which is filled with a productunder pressure;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the end closureshown in FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrating the position of the parts after theopening tab has been lifted to initiate rupture of the scored metalwhich defines the removable section of the end closure;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the presentclosure showing the position of parts after the pull tab has been liftedand then pulled to rupture a substantial portion of the score line;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on an enlarged scaleof a portion of the end closure of FIG. 1, the section being takenthrough the shank of the rivet with the pull tab omitted and showing theposition of the reinforcing bead of the present invention on the endclosure;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially along theline 77 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 88 ofFIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As a preferred and exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, FIGURES 1 and 2 disclose a circularcan end closure 20, preferably of a suitable metal such as aluminum ortinplate and formed with a circular central panel or wall 22 surroundedby a reinforcing groove 24 which merges into an upwardly extendingcountersink wall 26 which at its upper end merges into an outwardlyextending edge-curled flange 28.

A removable section 30 is set off in the wall 22. by an endless score 32which is indented directly into the metal of the end by suitabl scoringdies in the usual manner. At the outer end of the removable section 30,the score 32 is positioned just inwardly of the groove 24, and at theinner end a portion 33 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of it extends in a partial circlearound a portion of an upwardly extending hollow rivet 34 which isformed integral with the removable section 30 and is preferably disposedat the center of the end. The rivet 34 may be of any suitable type, onesuch type being disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,191,797.

The shank of the rivet 34 passes through a small circular hole,indicated by the numeral 36, which is formed in one end of an openingtab 40, the upper end of the rivet 34 being formed with an enlarged head42 which overlies the metal of the tab 40 around the hole 36 to securethe tab to the can end.

The hole 36 is positioned at the bottom of a bell-shaped depression 44which is disposed at one end of th tab 40 and is formed with a conicalside wall 45 which extends upwardly from the end panel 22 and terminatesin a front, or fulcrum, edge 46. It will be noted that the portion ofthe depression 44 immediately beneath the rivet head is somewhatflattened as an incident to the rivet heading operation. The oppositeend of the tab 40 is formed into a ring-shaped handle pull 47. Ifdesired, any other suitable shaped handle may be provided. Preferably,the peripheral outer edge of the tab 40 is hemmed or rolled downwardlyand inwardly to form a hem while the inner edge of the ring-shapedhandle portion is similarly hemmed as at 50. The construction of the tab40 is covered by US. patent application, Ser. No. 545,714 filed in thenames of John Wilson Rouse and Harley Earl Simmons. It is to beunderstood that the particular tab 40 described herein. is only apreferred component and not an essential one and that other tabs, as forexample, the type disclosed in US. Patent 3,191,797 could be used withthe instant invention and function satisfactorily.

In use, the end closure 20 is secured to the upper end of a conventionalcan body 60 is a conventional double seam 62 wherein the end flange 28is interfolded with the upper edge of the body 60 (see FIG. 3.) Theupward bulge of the central panel 22, which is seen in FIG. 3, isusually present when the can has been scaled and filled with a beverage(not shown) such as beer or soda. In many instances, the beverage iseither packed under pressure or generates its own pressure. In eitherevent, the pressure inside the can bulges its end 20 upwardly. Withnon-pressurizing products, of course, the end would retain the flatshape shown in FIG. 2.

When the can is to be opened, the user grasps the outer edge of the ringhandle 47 and pulls upwardly on it, thus causing the handle to rockupwardly as clearly seen in FIG. 4. The lifting of the handle subjectsthe rivet 34 and the surrounding metal to a sharp upward twisting orrocking action which exerts great stress on the inner circular portion33 of the score 32 which closely surrounds the rivet 34, thus causingthe thinned and weakened metal at the bottom of the score portion 33 torupture.

As explained previously, when the handle of the opening tab of aconventional end is manipulated so as to rock the tab through a largeangle, which may be greater than 90 and sometimes approximates 145, acrease or sharp bend frequently forms in the removable section adjacentto the rivet, generally along or adjacent to the line designed by theletter B in FIG. 6. The degree of flexural strain at this crease isoften high enough to cause a fracture so that only a small portion ofthe removable section can be removed. In the instant invention, thisproblem is controlled by locating a reinforcing head 70 in thevulnerable portion of the removable section 30 to prevent the formationof the sharp crease therein, the bead 70 preferably being disposed atright angles to the line B.

As seen in FIG. 6, the head 70 extends radially of the circular endclosure 20 and longitudinally of the removable section 30. The bead 70underlies the front edge 46 of the tab 40 as shown in FIGS. 1 through 4in order to prevent the formation of a sharp crease at the locationwhere the edge 46 of the tab 40 fulcrums against the removable section30 as the tab is rocked through a large angle by a user in th mannerdescribed above. In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, thislocation is the one most susceptible to creasing, but it is understoodthat a different opening tab might be used which would make a differentportion of the removable section susceptible to creasing or sharpbending during the opening operation in which case the bead would bepositioned in such ortion. In the dotted line position of FIG. 5 it isshown that the bead does not completely prevent bending of the metal inthe area of the removable section 30 which is contacted by the tab edge46, but it does restrict the bend to a shallow curvature of the metaland thus prevents the formation of an excessively sharp bend in theremovable section when the tab is rocked about its end edge 46, therebypreventing inadvertent fracture of that section during its removal.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bead 70 in the preferred embodimentextends downwardly, that is, towards the interior of the can to preventthe head from being flattened out when contacted by the tab edge 46,which flattening would cause the bead to lose some of its reinforcingcap-ability. However, under some conditions, depending on the materialfrom which the end is made and on other variables, such as modificationsin the tab construction, the bead may extend upwardly and functionsatisfactorily.

After the tear has been initiated the user need only insert his fingerin the opening of the ring handle 47 and continue to exert an upwardlifting and pulling force on it to cause continued tearing of the score32 as seen in solid lines in FIG. 5. After the score 32 has beencompletely torn and the removable section 30 completely separated fromthe can end, the product can be poured or drunk from the can.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description treats only onepreferred embodiment of the present invention, that other embodimentswithin the scope of the present invention are possible and that manyadditions, substitutions, deletions and modifications may be made in thepresent invention as disclosed herein without exceeding the scopethereof as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A container component comprising a wall, a removable section definedby a score impressed in said wall, an opening tab having a handleportion extending away from said removable section, a rivet joining saidtab and said removable section so that said handle portion may be liftedto rotate said tab in a direction toward said removable section so thatthe front edge of said tab contacts said section at a location adjacentto said rivet to rupture said score line and to reversely bend saidsection upon itself at said location and thereby break out a portion ofsaid section, and a reinforcing bead impressed in said removable sectionextending in the general direction of rotation of said tab and extendingthrough said location and under said front edge, said bead being shortenough to permit said bend to progress over most of the length of saidsection when said tab is manipulated to remove said section, said headpreventing said bend from becoming sharp enough at said location toresult in the fnacture of said section when said tab is rotated.

2. The component defined in claim 1 wherein said head extends into theinterior of said can.

3. The component defined in claim 2 wherein said component is a circularend closure, said section extends generally radially of said end closureand said bead is elongate in form and is disposed substantially on thecenterline of said section.

4. A container component comprising a wall, a removable section definedby a score line in said wall, an opening tab secured to said removablesection and having a fulcrum, said tab adapted to be manipulated to urgesaid fulcrum against said section to rupture said score line andreversely bend said section upon itself about said fulcrum to therebybreak out a portion of said section, and a reinforcing bead impressed insaid section at the location adapted to be engaged by said fulcrum andextending in said direction of bend but being short enough to allow saidbend to progress over said section as said tab is manipulated to removesaid section, said bead preventing said bend from being formed sharpenough to result in the fracture of said section..

5. The component defined in claim 4 wherein said bead extends into theinterior of said can.

6. The component defined in claim 5 wherein said bead extends generallylongitudinally of said section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,250,426 5/1966 Fraze 220-543,303,959 2/1967 Brown 22054 3,315,837 4/1967 Boik et al. 220543,339,790 9/1967 Murdock 22054 3,349,949 10/1967 Brown et al. 220543,401,822 9/1968 Fraze 22054 GEORGE T. HALL, Primary Examiner

